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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

Tags Search My ratings Sign in

Best TV Series of 2021

Top 500 most popular series that started in 2021

Filter & sort

Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Action 435 Adult 38 Adventure 361 Animation 538 Biography 87 Comedy 1524 Crime 630 Documentary 1075 Drama 2019 Family 246 Fantasy 219 Game-Show 219 History 256 Horror 159 Music 124 Musical 27 Mystery 317 News 93 Reality-TV 652 Romance 632 Sci-Fi 101 Short 81 Sport 128 Talk-Show 257 Thriller 322 War 43 Western 6

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

2020s 40410 2010s 48704 2000s 24492 1990s 11139 1980s 6467 1970s 4272 1960s 2491 1950s 1251 1940s 163 1930s 34 1920s 9 1900s 1

Specific year

2026 2911 2025 6438 2024 6061 2023 6198 2022 6411 2021 6430 2020 5961 2019 5621 2018 5440 2017 5665 2016 5306 2015 5111 2014 4727 2013 4716 2012 4479 2011 4160 2010 3479 2009 3298 2008 3064 2007 2994 2006 2987 2005 2586 2004 2285 2003 2059 2002 1872 2001 1799 2000 1548 1999 1489 1998 1411 1997 1314 1996 1169 1995 1120 1994 1037 1993 987 1992 879 1991 871 1990 862 1989 838 1988 735 1987 718 1986 648 1985 677 1984 641 1983 626 1982 554 1981 495 1980 535 1979 535 1978 496 1977 471 1976 486 1975 421 1974 424 1973 386 1972 423 1971 332 1970 298 1969 339 1968 315 1967 300 1966 290 1965 252 1964 240 1963 213 1962 159 1961 188 1960 195 1959 188 1958 135 1957 154 1956 147 1955 143 1954 110 1953 92 1952 107 1951 74 1950 101 1949 74 1948 42 1947 18 1946 14 1945 1 1944 5 1943 2 1941 4 1940 3 1939 2 1938 5 1937 3 1936 7 1934 1 1931 11 1930 5 1929 4 1928 3 1927 2 1908 1

Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Fumbled the Finale 1 Stuck the Landing 2 Grew the Beard 1 Rock Solid 0 Past Its Prime 0 Roller Coaster 0

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood

Bleak 18 Gritty 30 Dark tone 84 Feel-good 24 Cozy 4 Wholesome 20 Melancholic 24 Tense 70 Unsettling 24 Whimsical 8 Campy 9 Cynical 14 Hopeful 6 Sentimental 10 Nostalgic 14 Bittersweet 29 Chaotic energy 4 Deadpan cool 4

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 10 Fast-paced 8 Episodic 29 Serialized 74 Procedural 11 Mystery box 31 Anthology 13 Cliffhanger-driven 13 Sprawling saga 2 Tight limited run 69 Puzzle plot 11 Vignette style 1

Humor style

Dry humor 11 Absurdist 4 Satirical 11 Cringe comedy 1 Slapstick 1 Witty banter 17 Dark comedy 20 Warm humor 32 Raunchy 4 Parody 4 Ironic & meta 1

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 29 Detective mystery 33 True crime 24 Heists & cons 4 Legal 9 Medical 4 Political intrigue 14 Espionage 4 War & military 6 Family saga 17 Coming of age 34 Workplace 13 School & campus 18 Love story 39 Friendship 18 Found family 15 Survival 17 Post-apocalyptic 5 Dystopia 4 Supernatural 22 Space & sci-fi 6 Near-future tech 4 Time travel 4 High fantasy 15 Urban fantasy 3 Monster horror 7 Psychological horror 6 Addiction & vice 5 Mental health 8 Faith & religion 6 Sports 12 Music scene 5 Food & cooking 1 Nature & science 4 Real history 22 Royalty & aristocracy 11 Small town 19 Big city life 4 Rural & frontier 3 Suburban underbelly 3 Class divide 13 Immigrant experience 3 Queer stories 10 Female perspective 38 Social commentary 27 Philosophical 4 Existential dread 5 Revenge 19 Redemption 4 Secrets & lies 76

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 20 Morally gray 43 Villain's POV 2 Ensemble cast 41 Central duo 9 Strong female lead 46 Child's perspective 4 Outsider lead 9 Genius lead 9 Working class 13 Elites & privilege 13 Unreliable narrator 5 Character study 38 Banter chemistry 4

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 19 Adrenaline 21 Intellectual challenge 1 Comfort rewatch 6 Romantic yearning 29 Cathartic 2 Wonder & awe 9 Mounting dread 4 Warm glow 3 Gut punch 21

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 12 Visually striking 31 Stylized direction 23 Naturalistic 6 Big-budget spectacle 13 Lo-fi charm 0 Atmospheric 34 Distinctive score 6 Experimental 6 Deep worldbuilding 16 Tight writing 5

Format & audience

Sitcom 14 Adult animation 11 Anime 31 Kids & family 12 Young adult 15 Soap & telenovela 5 Event miniseries 18 Reality competition 3 Lifestyle reality 3 Docuseries 37 Sketch & variety 0 Game & quiz show 0 Talk & panel 3 Period piece 39 Contemporary life 11 Long-runner 1 Built to binge 6

Viewing-culture clusters

British TV 26 Nordic noir 3 K-drama 28 Turkish drama 8 Indian TV 28

Intensity & content character

Graphic violence 25 Disturbing 21 Sexually explicit 3 Family-safe 23 Emotionally heavy 40 Easy watching 56

Sort

500 series (top 500 shown)

Young Rock

30K 37 2021–2023

Nostalgic · Coming of age

Masters of the Universe: Revelation

30K 10 2021–2021

The Silent Sea

29K 8 2021–2021

Space & sci-fi · Survival

Anne Boleyn

29K 3 2021–2021

Reservation Dogs

29K 28 2021–2023

Friendship · Coming of age

Star Wars: Visions

28K 27 2021–present

Anthology · Visually striking

Horimiya

26K 26 2021–2021

Anime · Love story

Sunflower

25K 16 2021–present

Indian TV · Dark comedy

Dota: Dragon's Blood

24K 24 2021–2022

High fantasy · Deep worldbuilding

Leverage: Redemption

23K 39 2021–2025

Heists & cons · Found family

La Brea

23K 30 2021–2024

Survival · Mystery box

Cruel Summer

22K 21 2021–present

Puzzle plot · Mystery box

Brand New Cherry Flavor

22K 8 2021–2021

Disturbing · Unsettling

True Story

22K 7 2021–2021

Tense · Secrets & lies · Dark tone

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

22K 4 2021–2021

True crime · Docuseries

The Equalizer

21K 74 2021–2025

Procedural · Strong female lead

Landscapers

20K 4 2021–2021

Central duo · Character study

The Outlaws

20K 17 2021–present

British TV · Ensemble cast

The Chair

20K 6 2021–2021

Workplace · School & campus

The North Water

20K 5 2021–2021

Bleak · Gritty · Dark tone

Katla

20K 8 2021–2021

Atmospheric · Slow burn

Mouse

19K 22 2021–2021

K-drama · Tense · Dark tone

Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story

19K 4 2021–2021

Espionage · Indian TV

Kin

19K 17 2021–2023

Criminal underworld · Family saga

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Action Adult Adventure Animation Biography Comedy Crime Documentary Drama Family Fantasy Game-Show History Horror Music Musical Mystery News Reality-TV Romance Sci-Fi Short Sport Talk-Show Thriller War Western

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